Tamworth has once again delivered a standout sporting event, successfully hosting the 2026 Your Local Club Regional Academy Games across a vibrant weekend of competition from April 17–19.
Hosted by the Northern Inland Academy of Sport (NIAS) on behalf of the Regional Academies of Sport (RAS) network, the Games welcomed close to 1,000 emerging athletes from across New South Wales, competing in Basketball, Golf, Hockey, Netball, Triathlon and Softball.
Venues across the Tamworth region came alive as athletes represented all 11 Regional Academies of Sport – Central Coast, Far West, Illawarra, Hunter, North Coast, Northern Inland, South East, South West Sydney, Southern, Western Region and Western Sydney – alongside guest teams from Sydney. The Games brought together athletes, coaches, officials, families and supporters, creating a true celebration of regional sport.
NIAS Regional Manager Sue Charles praised both the athletes and the Tamworth community for delivering another highly successful event.
“The Your Local Club Regional Academy Games provide an incredible platform for young athletes to compete at a high level while representing their regions with pride,” Charles said.
“Tamworth once again put on an outstanding event for our athletes, teams and supporters, and the support from the local community played a huge role in the success of the Games.”
Now in the second year of NIAS’s three‑year hosting tenure, the 2026 Games built on the strong foundations established in previous years, delivering high‑quality competition while reinforcing Tamworth’s reputation as a leading regional destination for major sporting events.
In addition to athlete development outcomes, the Games delivered significant benefits for the Tamworth region, with hundreds of visiting athletes, coaches, officials and families travelling to the area across the weekend. The influx of visitors generated strong local economic activity, including increased accommodation stays, hospitality trade and broader tourism benefits throughout the region.
Minister for Sport Steve Kamper said:
“The Regional Academies of Sport network play a key role in the NSW talent pathway system, supporting the next generation of NSW athletes on and off the field to ensure the production line of Olympic and Paralympic athletes from regional NSW continues.
“The NSW Government is a proud supporter of the Regional Academies of Sport network as part of its commitment to supporting young athletes in regional areas.
“Congratulations to the RAS network, NIAS and 1,000 emerging athletes from across NSW on another successful Regional Academy Games.”
The 2026 Games were proudly supported by Clubs NSW (Your Local Club), the NSW Office of Sport, Tamworth Regional Council, Regional Australia Bank, The University of New England, Wests Entertainment Group, Tamworth Toyota, and media partners NBN News and the Super Radio Network (95.5TMFM, 92.9 FM).
With another successful edition complete, the Regional Academies of Sport network looks ahead to continuing to strengthen pathways for talented young athletes while delivering lasting benefits for regional communities across New South Wales.
Results
Basketball
Boys:
1st – HAS
2nd – IAS
3rd – CCAS
Girls:
1st – CCAS
2nd -IAS
3rd – HAS
Gold Medal Match Referees: Ryan Johnson & Chelsea Smith
Boys All Star Five:
| Lachlan Butler | IAS |
| David Conallin | NCAS |
| Tyler Donnelly | HAS |
| Edem Downling | IAS |
| Mason Potestas | CCAS |
All Star Five Coach: Peter Harvey – HAS
Girls All Star Five:
| Lexlani Blain | HAS |
| Kalani Chambers | IAS |
| Grace Garwood | CCAS |
| Ava Gillard | HAS |
| Zali Heffernan | CCAS |
All Star Five Coach: Maddison Delaney – IAS
Golf
Individual
Stroke Play Champions
Girls – Ava Prince CCAS
Boys – Sky Tse Sydney Metro North
Teams
1st – Sydney Metro North
Hockey
Girls Div 1
1st – NIAS
2nd – IAS
3rd – HAS
Girls Div 2
1st – WRAS
2nd- NCAS
3rd – SSA
Boys Div 1
1st – NIAS
2nd – HAS
3rd – SWSAS
Boys Div 2
1st – HAS
2nd – WRAS
3rd – SSA/NCAS Combined
MVP:
| Girls Div 1: Zoe Russell | IAS |
| Girls Div 2: MVPs: Lucy Bolton – SSA, and Evie Ryder – SWSAS tied | SSA/SWSAS |
| Boys Div 1: Nate Field | SWSAS |
| Boys Div 2: Owen Dinsdale | SSA/NCAS |
Netball
Div 1
1st – SWSAS
2nd – SNA Blue
3rd – HAS
Div 2
1st – WRAS
2nd – SNA Yellow
3rd – CCAS
MVP’s Div 1
| CCAS | Charlotte Long |
| HAS | Bowey Manning |
| IAS | Indy Bradley |
| NCAS | Zoe Townsend |
| SNA Blue | Millie Morrison |
| SNA Purple | Miki Vandenberg |
| SNA Teal | Eva Ahokava |
| SSA | Alana Neyland |
| SWSAS | Arijana Strickland |
| WSAS 1 | Aleigha Panuve |
| WSAS 2 | Francine Valentine |
| WRAS | Hannah Hayes |
MVPs Div 2
| CCAS | Ariana McVeigh |
| FWAS | Charlee O’Connor |
| HAS | Tori Daley |
| IAS | Ava Targett |
| NCAS | Ivy Howard |
| NIAS Gold | Melita Howard |
| NIAS Maroon | Paige Floyd |
| SESA | Sophie Lewis |
| SNA Yellow | Siena Pessetto |
| SWSAS | Pippa Kelly |
| WRAS | Eliza Strahorn |
Netball Umpires
Rising Star Award: Bianca Kral – SWSAS
Badges Awarded:
C Badge – Sophie Wykes & Madeline Robinson
B Badge – Caitlin Holleman, Lola Welsh, Sophie Placek, Bianca Kral, Paige Hammond, Matilda George, Emilie Summers, Abby Andrews, Ruby Bowen, Malani Murphy, Olivia Ketley, Charlee Render, Abbey Whitchurch, Anna Monteleone
Softball
Girls
1st – WSAS
2nd – SWSAS
Boys
1st – SWSAS
2nd – WSAS
Triathlon
Junior Female
1st – Eva Mowbray CCAS
2nd – Emily Stone WRAS
3rd – Isla O’Connor IAS
Junior Male
1st – Isaac Chapman WSAS
2nd – Alexander Mackie WSAS
3rd – Liam Ward ROSTA
Youth Female
1st – Anise Dawkins NCAS
2nd – Olivia Fraser ROSTA
3rd – Anastasia Lamb ROSTA
Youth Male
1st – Caine Platt HAS
2nd – Thomas Rice CCAS
3rd – Matthew Fosse SWSAS
Fantasy Team
1st: CCAS
Thomas Rice
Mason Pellatt
Eva Mowbray
2nd: IAS
Taylor Mulhere
Luke Barritt
Isla O’Connor
3rd: ROSTA
Liam Ward
Koby Hellyer
Olivia Fraser
Full results from the 2026 Your Local Club Regional Academy Games can be found at www.academygames.com.au.
